BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL; Suddenly, Pacers' Miller Loses Postseason Prowess

By CHRIS BROUSSARD

Published: April 29, 2003

On Sunday in Boston, one lonely soul stood bravely behind the Indiana Pacers' bench, waving a blue and gold Reggie Miller jersey while being mocked and cursed by fans sitting nearby. Sadly for the Pacers, that fan did more to frustrate the crowd at the Fleet Center than Miller did.

For the second straight game in Indiana's first-round series with the Boston Celtics, Miller was all but invisible, nearly going scoreless for the first time in his 13 years of postseason play. Miller's only points in the Pacers' 102-92 loss in Game 4 came on a meaningless 3-pointer with 42 seconds remaining.

With Miller, the greatest player in franchise history, floundering as never before, the third-seeded Pacers, who many observers thought could win the Eastern Conference title, face a three-games-to-one deficit and the prospect of elimination in tonight's Game 5 in Indianapolis.

''Reggie has to be more of a factor out there on the floor,'' Indiana Coach Isiah Thomas said.

If one thing seemed certain at the start of this series, it was that Miller would be a factor. A yapping, flopping miracle worker during his previous 12 years in the playoffs, Miller has unquestionably been one of the clutch playoff performers of his generation.

Always better when the games meant more, he averaged 23.5 points in 109 postseason games, compared with a career average of 19.3 points in the regular season.

But in this series, Miller is averaging just 9.8 points on 28.6 percent field-goal shooting (10 for 35). He has missed 13 of 16 3-point attempts, and in the last two games, he has missed 9 of 10 shots over all while totaling only 8 points. In Game 3, he shot 0 for 7, failing to make a shot for the first time in a postseason game.

''I think it's all about rhythm, and to have a rhythm you have to get shots,'' Miller said after shooting 1 for 3 on Sunday. ''Right now, the shots are not there for me the last two games. Hopefully, in the next couple of days I can find my rhythm and come out aggressive and hit some shots and get going early.''

Miller, who has averaged 27 minutes in this series, played only 17 minutes in Game 4, but it is hard to blame Thomas for limiting his playing time. Miller was obviously ineffective, and defensively he is overmatched because of the Celtics' lineup. Never a strong defender, Miller has to cover either Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker or Eric Williams, all of whom are much bigger and stronger. Thomas has opted to put Miller on Walker, who has gone inside at will.

If Miller is not answering the opposition with baskets of his own, he becomes a liability, and the Pacers have too much depth to simply watch Miller falter. His backup, Ron Mercer, has been more productive the last two games.

Still, some argue that Miller should be on the court regardless because of his history as a postseason wonderworker.

Thomas was criticized after he sat Miller, who shot 4 for 12 and scored 12 points, for most of the fourth quarter of Indiana's 103-100 loss in Game 1. In Game 2, Thomas played Miller for 37 minutes, and he scored 18 points despite shooting 4 for 13 to help Indiana to its only victory of the series.

Walker said he was baffled that Miller had spent so much time on the bench. ''Obviously, I'm not in their locker room, I'm not Coach Thomas, but he's not getting the opportunity to play,'' Walker said after Game 4. ''Hopefully, it stays like that. As long as they keep him not playing that's fine with me because he's very dangerous. I have the highest level of respect for him as a player, but whatever they're doing to keep him playing limited minutes, I hope it continues because it's working to our advantage.''

More than limited minutes, Miller's age, 37, could be a factor, though that may be hard for some to believe considering Miller's incredible performance just a year ago against the Nets. He averaged 23.6 points during that five-game series and hit a 40-foot 3-pointer that beat the buzzer to force overtime in the Pacers' Game 5 loss. Miller scored 31 points that night and also forced a second overtime by scoring on a driving dunk. If he was capable of such feats at 36, why not at 37?

''I feel good,'' Miller said, contending that age is not a factor in his play. ''I still feel like I can compete at a high level.''

Perhaps the bruised right ankle Miller sustained in last summer's world championships slowed him. It kept him out of the first 12 games of the season, and he averaged only 12.6 points, his lowest output since his rookie season, 1987-88.

Or maybe Miller is still capable of such play, and a vintage ''Reggie'' moment awaits.

''He can get hot at any moment, and he's going to be prepared to play Game 5,'' Walker said. ''That's the type of warrior and competitor he is.''